Machine for producing finned tubing



Aug. 28, 1956 w. P. HILL MACHINE FOR PRODUCING FINNED TUBING Filed July 31, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l JNVENTOR. ll lz er 7? fizZJ /77727F/VEV6.

Aug. 28, 1956 w. P. HILL 2,760 3 MACHINE FOR PRODUCING FINNED TUBING Filed July 31. 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N VEN TOR.

i u a BY I *II m MACHINE FOR PRODUCING FINNED TUBING Walter P. Hill, Pontiac, Mich. Application July 31, 1952, Serial No. 301,886

3 Claims. (Cl. 80-55) This invention relates to an improved machine for manufacturing finned tubing, of the type in which the fins are formed from a portion of the material forming the Wall of a plain tube.

Pinned tubing in the past has been manufactured by various methods and with various types of devices, with the most efficient and modern method being the method disclosed in applicants prior Patent No. 2,508,517, issued May 23, 1950, for Method of Forming Integral Fins on Tubing. While the methods now being used to produce finned tubing are satisfactory, the machinery or equipment for producing the finned tubing has not been completely satisfactory. Machines for producing such tubing include a plurality of circumferentially spaced forming rolls, of either the integral or side-by-side disc type, which must be replaced, repaired or sharpened from time to time. In the past it has been difiicult to easily remove the forming rolls from the machine for this purpose. Furthermore, in the past the forming rolls have been driven through a drive shaft and universal joint in view of the fact that the angularity of the forming rolls was adjustable. With the use of a universal joint vibrations occurred which interrupted the constant motion of the drive and caused undesirable characteristics which affected the efficiency and operation of the machine. Furthermore, previously designed machines of this type were excessively bulky, expensive to manufacture and maintain, complicated to adjust, and jerky in operation.

It is an object of this invention to eliminate the aforementioned difiiculties in finned tubing machines and to provide a relatively inexpensive, simple, durable and efficient machine.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a machine of the aforementioned type in which the forming rolls are supported on a fixed angle and cannot be adjusted, thereby eliminating many of the problems in previous machines, including the use of universal joints.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a machine in which the forming rolls may be easily removed from or connected with the machine.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a machine which operates smoothly at all times and in which the constant motion of the drive mechanism and the forming rolls is not interrupted.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a machine of the aforementioned type, in which the arbors for each of the forming rolls are supported in separate bearing supports so that they can be individually removed.

These and other objects of this invention become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary end elevational view of the machine of this invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1, taken along the line 2-2 thereof;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 2, taken along the line 33 thereof;

nited States Patent 2,760,389 Patented Aug. 28, 1956 Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 2, taken along the line 4-4 thereof; and

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of a piece of tubing having fins formed thereon.

Referring now to the drawings, it will be seen that the machine of this invention includes a housing and supporting structure or means 7, which is adapted to be supported on a floor or other suitable stationary surface. A supporting member or guide means 9, for tubing to be finned, is rotatably supported in the housing structure 7 by suitable bearings 11. A drive pulley 13 is keyed to the outer end of the tube supporting member 9 around which belts 15 extend to a motor or other suitable driving mechanism (not shown) for rotatably driving the pulley and thus the tube supporting member 9. The tube supporting member 9 is provided with a central bore 17 so that tubing 19, to be finned, can be inserted into the outer end thereof and moved therethrough into engagement with forming rolls 21 supported adjacent the opposite end of the member 9, as will hereinafter appear.

Carried by the member 9, intermediate the ends thereof, is a gear 23 which meshes with three circumferentially spaced gears 25, 26 and 27, carried by shafts 29. The

shafts 29 extend substantially parallel to the tube supporting member 9 and are circumferentially spaced therearound and have external splines 31 formed on the rearmost ends thereof. The shafts 29 are rotatably supported in the housing 7 by suitable hearings or bushings 33. The forming rolls 21, three of which are illustrated in the drawing, are each supported on an arbor 35, each of which is aligned with one of the shafts 29 and has an interiorly splined cuplike end 37 which slides over and meshes with the external spline 31 of its aligned shaft 29. The forming rolls 21 may be formed in any suitable manner, but are illustrated as being formed of a plurality of side-by-side discs 39, which are clamped on the arbor in side-by-side relationship, by any suitable means. The forming roll discs 39 have their outer peripheries axially spaced and helically aligned to provide peripheral forming roll portions engageable with a tube 19 for forming a continuous integral fin 41 thereon, as illustrated in Fig. 5.

Each forming roll arbor 35 is supported in a sleeve member 45, having its rearward or outer end closed and formed with a hexagonal periphery 47. Each sleeve member 45 is rotatably supported in the housing 7 by a suitable bushing 49, which in turn is supported in an opening 51, in a blocklike member 53, which is disposed in an opening 57 in the end wall of the housing 7 and is slidably removable therefrom. The end wall opening 57 is of a generally cloverleaf shape and the blocklike members 53 are so shaped that the center portion of the opening remains open to permit the finned tubing to be discharged from the machine therethrough. Each blocklike member 53 is held in the end of the housing 7 by means of a diagonally extending bolt or cap screw 59, the head of which is exteriorly disposed at the rear of the machine, and the threaded shank of which extends into a complementary tapped opening 61 in the housing 7 and abuts the end of a recess 62 in the blocklike member 53 to releasably hold the latter in place. If desired, additional aligning and/ or securing means may be provided for connecting members 53 with the housing 7. The shank portion of an elongated bolt 65 extends through an opening in the closed end 47 of each sleeve member 45, through an aperture in each arbor 35, and is threadably connected at 67 to its aligned splined shaft 29 so as to releasably connect each arbor to its aligned drive shaft 29.

It will thus be seen that the forming rolls 21 are rotatably driven by the pulley 13 through tube supporting member 9, gear 23, the gears on each of the splined shafts 29 and the spline connections of the shafts with the forming roll arbors 35. A direct drive to the forming rolls is thus provided without the necessity of the use of any universal joint or other connection which would impart vibrations to the machine during its operation. It will likewise be seen that when it is desired or necessary to repair, replace, or otherwise remove a forming roll 21 the adjacent bolt or cap screw 59 is backed oif to permit the block member 53 to be slid rearwardly from the housing 7. As the block member is larger in diameter than the forming roll, the forming roll can move rearwardly through the opening in the housing end wall. It is, of course, necessar prior to the removal of the forming roll, to unscrew the bolt 65 to disconnect the arbor 35 from its splined shaft 29.

When it is desired to form finned tubing from plain tubing, the tubing 19 is inserted into the forward end of the tube supporting member 9 and pushed forward manually or otherwise, into engagement with the peripheral portions of the forming rolls 21, disposed adjacent the rear end of the tube supporting member 9. The forming rolls engage the periphery of the tube and form a continuous fin thereon. Due to the fact that the discs 39 have their peripheral portions 'helically aligned and arranged, after the tube once is engaged by the forming rolls the rolls will move the tube axially through the machine and out through the opening in the back wall of the machine between the arbors 35. The housing is provided with a suitable drain or discharge 71, below the rolls 21, for carrying away fluid metal scraps, etc.

It will thus be seen that a fin tube machine is provided in which the angle of the forming rolls cannot be changed, but in which the forming rolls can be easily removed for replacement or repair purposes or to form fins of different angles, etc. With an arrangement of this type it is possible to provide a direct gear drive from the driving mechanism to the forming rolls without incorporating any universal joints which tend to adversely affect the efficiency and operation of the machine for the reasons pointed out above. Still further, it will be noted that the machine of this invention is relatively compact and simple in construction, while being durable in use.

What is claimed is:

l. A machine for producing finned tubing, including an elongate tubular guide member defining a straight passageway having entrance and exit ends and into which a tube to be finned is insertable, housing means, means rotatably supporting said member in said housing means, a plurality of circumferentially spaced forming rolls rtatably supported adjacent the exit end of the passageway defined by said member for engaging the tube inserted through the passageway defined by said member, each of said rolls including axially spaced helically aligned peripheral portions engageable with the tube for forming a continuous integral fin thereon and moving the tube axially through the housing, means including gear means connecing each of said rolls to said member so that said member rotatably drives said rolls, an arbor mounting each of said rolls and extending generally parallel to said member, said arbor being releasably connected to said gear means, said housing means having an opening in an end wall thereof spaced from the ends of said rolls remote from said member, block-like elements disposed in said opening and slidably removable therefrom, said rolls being mounted on said arbor between said blocklike elements and said member, fastener means carried by said housing means and'engaging each of said block elements to releasably retain the same in said housing means, each of said arbors being rotatably supported in one of said block-like elements and having a portion thereof projecting beyond its block-like element to be exteriorly accessibly so that by loosening each of said fastener means each of said block-like elements and its associated arbor and roll can be withdrawn from said housing.

2. A machinezfor producing finned .tubing comprising a housing, an elongate tubular drive member defining a straight passageway having entrance and exit ends and into which the tube to be finned is insertable, means rotatably supporting said member in said housing, a gear carried by said member, a plurality of shafts extending generally parallel to said member and disposed in angularly spaced relationship around the periphery thereof, a gear carried by each of said shafts meshing with the gear carried by said member, a plurality of arbors, one of said arbors being disposed in axial alignment with each of said shafts, a plurality of finned forming rolls, one of said rolls being mounted on each of said arbors, means drivingly connecting one end portion of each of said arbors with its aligned shaft and also allowing removal of the arbor from the shaft, and means rotatably supporting the other end portion of each of said arbors in said housing, said last-mentioned means including removable securing means whereby said rotatable supporting means and said arbor and said roll may be removed as a unit from said housing, said rolls being positioned between said member and said rotatable supporting means and adjacent the exit end of the passageway defined by said member so as to be engageable with a tube inserted through the passageway defined by said member.

3. A machine for producing finned tubing comprising a frame, a plurality of driving shafts mounted in said frame, means to drive said shafts, a plurality of spaced forming rolls mounted on a plurality of arbors, means releasably connecting one end portion of said arbors to said shafts, said arbors being in alignment with said shafts, means to rotatably support the other end portion of said arbors, said last-mentioned means being removably mounted in said frame, means to releasably secure said rotatable supporting means so that upon release the rotatable support means, said arbors and said rolls may be removed as a unit from the frame, and means to drive a workpiece between said rolls.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,041,757 Edwards Oct. 22, 1912 1,188,461 McCain June 27, 1916 1,204,035 Kerlin Nov. 7, 1916 2,252,130 Lamprecht et al Aug. 12, 1941 2,358,307 Dewey Sept, 19, 1944 2,429,491 Schuler Oct. 21, 1947 2,430,210 Bruegger Nov.- 4, 1947 2,469,988 Polk May 10, 1948 2,508,517 Hill May 23, 1950 2,550,855 Ostendorf May 1, 1951 2,565,928 OMalley Aug. 28, 1951 

